Kent Conwell - Tony Boudreaux 13 - The Diamonds of Ghost Bayou Read Online Free Page A

thinks I’m part
of it.”
    I frowned at Diane. “Part of what?”
    He blew through his lips in frustration. “That’s what I don’t
know. All I know is that diamonds are involved.”
    “Diane mentioned them”
    His words were slurred. “The other night when those two were
beating on me, they kept asking, `Where’s the diamonds? Where’s
the diamonds?”’
    I interrupted him. “There was more than one, then?”
    “Yeah. Two of them.” He tightened the grip on my hand. “I’m
scared for Diane. Don’t leave her alone, please. I’ve seen lights
out in the swamp at night, and we’ve had prowlers around before
this happened.”
    “Prowlers?”
    “I had to chain the boat to a pier. I didn’t know if they were
going to steal it or not, but one early morning, I saw two guys
looking at it. They were in another boat.”
    “What color?”
    “Yellow.” He tightened his grip on my hand. “Just look after
Diane for me, you hear?”
    San Antonio flashed into my mind, but I quickly pushed it
aside. “Don’t worry, pal. She’ll be fine.” I glanced around at
her. Her eyes brimmed with tears.
    The door opened, and a slender young woman in flowered
scrubs, her blond hair pulled back in a ponytail, entered briskly.
“Time for your meds, Mr. Edney. No more putting it off.” She
smiled at us. “Good morning.”
    We stepped back as she checked Jack’s vital signs, then injected drugs into the IV. “Did you sleep well?”
    He forced a wry smile. “With all this stuff in me?”
    Within moments of her administering the drugs, Jack slipped
into a peaceful sleep. The nurse smiled at us. “He’ll sleep for
some time now, if you have errands to run.”
    “I’ll follow you,” I said outside, as Diane climbed into their
Cadillac.

    She looked around. “I have to make a stop at the vet’s first.”
    I nodded, puzzled.
    When she came out of the vet’s, she was cradling a tiny dog
with long white hair in her arms. She was cooing to the dog as
it was doing its best to lick her face. I don’t know what they’re
called, but the little guy could fit in a woman’s purse.
    She turned the dog loose in the backseat, but it promptly
jumped up front as she slid behind the wheel.
    I couldn’t help wondering where it had come from; they didn’t
have a dog when they left Austin to take possession of their new
vacation home.
    Diane pulled into the carport. As soon as she opened her door,
the dog leaped to the ground and, like a white streak, shot across
the yard toward the mating grackles, yapping at the top of his
lungs.
    Diane watched for a moment and then turned to me. “That’s Mr.
Jay. We bought him last week. He’s a miniature cairn terrier.”
    I watched the energetic little terrier bouncing all over the
lawn, scattering one bunch of birds, then dashing after another. “Cute,” I said with a shake of my head. “But you know,
you’ve got alligators out there. Your Mr. Jay wouldn’t even be
a mouthful.”

     

She waved off my warning. “They wouldn’t bother him. Besides, he’s too fast for them.”
    I glanced back at the yapping terrier, reluctant to leave him
outside.
    Diane continued, “Now, let’s go in. I can’t wait to take a
shower.” She seized her blouse between her index finger and
thumb and pulled it away from her skin. She shook it. “I feel all
greasy and dirty.”
    Diane and I had been married for a couple of years, so I was
more than familiar with her penchant for cleanliness, which at
times I had considered bordering on the obsessive. “All right.
I’ll open the windows and let in some fresh air.”
    We mounted the steps, and I unlocked the door. Back in the
yard, Mr. Jay was yap-yap-yapping. I pushed the door open for
Diane, and she headed directly for the master bathroom. I called
after her. “After I throw open the windows, I’ll check on the
boat”
    With San Antonio winking at me, the last thing I wanted was
to be in the house while she